Women's bodies hold within them an incredible organ filled with sexual and creative power.

It is time that we celebrate the astonishing capabilities and mysteries of the fantastic uterus!

Every single human being that has ever been alive upon this planet, now and throughout all of history, has achieved this existence thanks to this very organ.

Thus, we have all been intimately acquainted with the uterus, since the dawn of our lives, whether or not you have one personally within your own body.

However, the uterus is an endangered organ. Hysterectomy (the removal of the uterus) is currently the #2 most common surgery performed in the United States. The #1 most common surgery in the US today is Cesarean Section, the cutting of the uterus to remove a baby.

The uterus is sensitive and permeable to the industrial chemicals now inundating our environment. Hundreds of toxic chemicals are now finding their way into the wombs of women, and thus into the amniotic fluid of pregnant mothers and detectable in the blood of newborns.

It's important to raise awareness today about the power, purpose and potential of the amazing uterus, so we can focus more energy on the health, vitality and preservation of this amazing female organ.

#1: The Uterus is Super Strong

The uterus is the strongest muscle in the body by weight. The uterus has multiple layers of muscle tissue that run in every direction, spiral together, and are ultra-strong. A laboring uterus exerts incredible pressure to push a baby out into the world, and is the strongest force exerted by any muscle in the body.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the jaw muscle as the strongest muscle in the body due to a biting contest that measured pressure, but that's just because people haven't thought up a good way to make measuring the power of a women's uterus in labor into a contest. Some people don't value the uterus as the strongest muscle because not everyone has them (ahem, men) but that doesn't mean it's not still the strongest. We know what's up. Womb power, that's what.

#2: The Uterus is Incredibly Flexible

A uterus is stretchier than Gumby! During pregnancy a women's uterus goes from being the size of a pear and tucked behind the pubic bone, to being as large as a balloon and reaching all the way to the ribcage and stretching the abdomen outwards visibly. Then it shrinks back down after birth. That's totally amazing! Not only is the uterus super strong but it's super stretchy too!

#3: The Uterus Heals

Menstrual blood is rich in stem cells which are found to be adaptive within the body to heal a wide variety of diseases. Each month during her fertile years, a woman's body creates a rich endometrial layer in preparation to grow and nourish a whole new human being. When a baby is not conceived the body releases this extremely valuable and nutritive substance during the menstrual cycle.

The abundance of stem cells in the menstrual blood are being researched to treat a wide variety of conditions from stroke, heart disease, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's, diabetes, wounds, neurodegenerative diseases and more. Women create the most abundant free source of stem cells during monthly menstrual flows, which is much more ethical to harvest than from cord blood of newborns or from aborted embryos, yet it is slow to catch on because of cultural taboos still surrounding menstruation.

#4: The Uterus is Orgasmic

When a women orgasms, she experiences not just pleasurable and euphoric sensations, but waves of contracting muscles throughout the uterus, as well as the vagina and pelvic floor. The whole uterus has waves of muscular contractions which helps to facilitate the movement of sperm from the vagina into the uterus.

Some women also experience deep pleasure from their wombs during orgasm, and say that relaxing and deepening into the feeling allows a whole body orgasmic release.

#5: The Uterus is Connected to the Universe

A women's menstrual cycles and stages of life are intrinsically linked to the cycles of the Earth, Moon and Sun. The moon cycle is 29.5 days, and the average woman's menstrual cycle is 29.5 days. Women who's cycles are closest to the 29.5 day cycle have higher rates of fertility.

In addition, there are 13 moon cycles in a calendar year, and the average age of menarche (a girl's first menstruation) is age 13. The average age of menopause is 52, which is also the number of weeks in a year. There are an average of 4 weeks to a women's menstrual cycle and 4 seasons in a year.

Women's ancient menstrual calendars consisting of notches carved into bone or stone are said to be some of the earliest forms of calendars known. Women's wombs hold a powerful connection to the astronomical cycles of the Earth, Sun and Moon.

#6: The Uterus Can Grow a Placenta

The uterus is the only organ that can grow a whole new organ within it. The placenta is absolutely amazing, and is an organ that is grown within the uterus when a woman is pregnant that nourishes and feeds the fetus with exactly what it needs every moment for the entire pregnancy. The placenta connects the mother and baby, through it's attachment to the uterine wall of the mother and to the baby through the umbilical cord. It's a physical manifestation of the nurturing of the mother for the child and is released after the birth of the child.

The placenta and umbilical cord have a pattern visible in the arteries that looks like the tree of life and is an ancient symbol of life and vitality. Placentas have been highly honored by cultures around the world since the beginning of humanity. The word "placenta" comes from Old English and actually means "a round flat cake", and the tradition of honoring our placenta continues today as we celebrate around a birthday cake each year on the anniversary of our birth.

#7: The Uterus Can Grow a HUMAN!

It's totally mind-boggling but true. Within the womb of a woman it is possible to conceive and gestate a whole new human being! WOW! Every single one of us is here alive on the planet today because we we started life growing within the womb of our mother, and we come from a long-line of ancestors born from the wombs of their mothers.

The first time I ever attended a birth as a doula, I was totally amazed at the power of a woman to birth a baby, and walked around for days in total amazement at every woman I saw, thinking how miraculous it is that women have wombs and that we can grow other humans within us. AMAZING.

Now you know why they called her WONDER Woman! Right?

The Universe Within the Uterus

Women can use the power of our wombs not just to grow babies but to tune into the creative potential of the Universe and birth great ideas, businesses, projects, art and more. The womb is a women's unique connection to a primal source of creativity and can be used for not just procreation but conscious co-creation with nature and spirit.

Let's honor and celebrate the wonders of the womb and keep our uteruses healthy and loved!

Many blessings, Kara Maria Ananda

Join the Womb Cycles, a holistic global online program for empowering women's wellness through menstruation, fertility, hormones and creative energy.